Dark Fruitcake Recipe

Sift together first 6 ingredients. Cream together butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and cognac. Cut with steel blade of a food processor raisins, dates and figs. Chop with knife the pecans, walnuts, candied cherries, orange peel, lemon peel, candied citron, candied pineapple.
To the creamed butter and sugar mixture, add the dry ingredients, alternately with 1/2 C apple juice and 1 C blackberry jam. To this mixture add the chopped nuts and fruits which have been tossed with 1/4 c all purpose flour. Mix thoroughly. Line a large tube pan with waxed paper and grease well. Pour mixture into the pan. If desired, top with
pecan halves. Bake at 275 degrees for one hour and then at 300 degrees for 2 hours longer. If top browns too soon, cover with brown paper. Cool 15 minutes in pan and completely on a wire rack. Sit wire rack on a towel and drizzle 1/2 C cognac over top of cake. Wrap in towel and put into a cake tin for at least 3 weeks. Check every week and if cake feels dry, drizzle with a little more cognac.